This week I thought we would look at how to re"cycle" old pillows. Pillows seem to go flat before you know it. I feel like I am always needing to replace my old pillows! So lets see what we can come up with to do with them.

You could give them to your dog for a doggie bed. Dog beds are SO EXPENSIVE. Why pay $10+ for a doggie bed (that may just get chewed up anyways) when you could just make one. If you have a small dog, you could just put the old pillow down as is for the dog to sleep on. They will love it because it has your scent!

If you have a big dog, you could get some $1 material at Walmart and make a larger square doggie bed. Take your old pillows and cut them open, take out the stuffing and fluff. Once you have fluffed, throw it all in the doggie bed. The great thing is that they are machine washable. Your dog will think he is so special! Below is a picture of the doggie bed I made for my dog Dodger. As you can tell, he loves it!

You could make sock monkeys. This is a great way to use old socks and old pillow stuffing! Below is a picture of how to make a sock monkey toy.

You could make a throw pillow out of it. You can find some $1 material at Walmart and use the old pillow stuffing for your throw pillow. Below is a picture of one that I made a while back. My mom gave me a basket of fabric left over from projects she had done. I used that material to make throw pillows like this one. They ended up being favorites of my cats!

If you have used old pillows for anything else, post it here and share it with everyone! If you have other items in your home that you have reused and you would like to see it posted here, send me an email and let me know.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Be sure to print this list off and bring it with you when you shop. If you come across any problems, you can whip these out to your defense. I have had to do it in the past! If there are any stores that you would like the policy for that are not listed here or if you have received a different one, leave a comment and share with everyone!

Dollar General Policy:

Dollar General is pleased to accept manufacturer coupons at any of our more than 8,100 stores. If you have five coupons for five products, you may use them in one transaction unless the coupon states otherwise. If the coupon states that it is good for any product, you may use the coupon for any product even if it is not pictured, unless the coupon states otherwise.You may use a Dollar General coupon along with a Manufacturer's coupon for the same item, as long as neither coupon states otherwise. Unfortunately, due to fraudulent attempts, we are unable to accept internet coupons, unless they were e-mailed to you directly from Dollar General.We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and welcome any opportunity we have to serve you in the future. You are a valued customer here at Dollar General.

Kind regards,

Mandy Walling

Target Policy:

Dear Target Guest,

Coupons are a great way to save even more when shopping at Target, and we make it easy to use them at our stores. But because of the variety of coupons available to our guests, we do have some guidelines for how coupons can be redeemed at Target:--

We accept two kinds of coupons: Target-issued coupons andmanufacturer-issued coupons.--

We'll accept one Target coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the sameitem, unless either coupon prohibits it.--

We can't give cash back if the face value of a coupon is greater thanthe purchase value of the item; in that case, we'll adjust the value of thecoupon to equal the price of the item.--

We can't accept coupons from other retailers, or coupons for productsnot carried in our stores.-- All valid coupons should be presented to the cashier at the time of sale.

I apologize for any disappointment this may have caused you. Have questions or want more information about using coupons at Target? Check with a Guest Services Team Leader at your store. You can also give usa call at (800) 440-0680, or visit us on Target.com. Either way, we're here to help! Thanks for shopping with us. We'll see you again soon at Target.

Kmart will not send out a policy because they want the right to change it at their whim. They will say that they do accept Kmart & Manufacturer coupons. You can use one Kmart & one MFG for each item that you purchase. It is up to the store manager whether or not to accept printed coupons.

They do not double coupons except for their advertised double days in which they will double any coupon value up to $2, no more than 4 of the same coupon can be used and no more than 75 coupons per transaction.

I've noticed that my Kmart switches back and forth on accepting printed coupons. It is really hit or miss when we go in there. Good luck!

I have not received the official policy yet. Once I do, I will post it here. They follow suit with Schnucks though so go by that for now.

Shop'n Save Policy:

I received your web page inquiry regarding coupons.We do accept manufacturer's coupons; however we do not double or triple them. It is the manager's decision to accept either a manufacturer's or on-line coupon should there be some question as to it being a valid coupon. We have had problems with coupon fraud especially with on-line coupons. The manager on duty has the final decision.

I am sorry, but Shop 'n Save does not double manufacturer's coupons. (we have never offered this option to our customers.) Usually unless a product is on a super special at our competitors, our price of an item using a coupon can be less than our competitor's price with doubling the coupon.

There are many fraudulent Internet Coupons on the net and stores are very cautious and particular about what they accept. As with any coupons be it manufacturer or Internet printed coupons, if any doubt by the checker, a manager would have to approve accepting them. You might check with the store manager on duty BEFORE you shop to see if the manager will accept the coupons. The manager on duty will be the one to make that decision at store level because he will be able to physically see them.

Thank you for using our web site.

Sincerely,Valerie SensmeyerCustomer RelationsShop 'n Save

Walgreens Policy:

Thank you for taking your time to contact our Corporate Offices. We appreciate hearing from our customers and value all comments received. Walgreen stores accept a variety of coupon’s everyday. The coupons fall into twocategories:

#1. Walgreens issued coupons and

#2. Manufacturer issued coupons.

The following are some guidelines for accepting these types of coupons.

We will accept one Walgreen issued coupon and one manufacturer coupon for the same item, unless either coupon prohibits such use.

"Walgreens" Roto Ad coupons, IVC (Instant Value Coupon) coupons, and a manufacturer’s coupon can be used towards the purchase of any one item.

Walgreens does not provide cash back if a coupon is presented from more than the purchase value of the item.

Walgreens does not accept coupons from other retailers or coupons for products not carried in our stores.

All valid coupons must be presented to the cashier at the time of sale.

When purchasing a Buy 1 Get 1 free item, only one coupon can be applied towards the purchase because the customer is only purchasing one item.

If a coupon states "good on any size of the product" and does not specifically exclude trail sizes of this product, the coupon can be used to purchase trial sized products.

Walgreens does not accept expired coupons.

As a company we do not price match.

If an item that was purchased with a coupon is returned, we will refund the price paid by the customer. Example: If the item’s retail was $1.49 and the manufacturer’s coupon was $.25 off, we would refund $1.24.I hope I have answered all your questions.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service to you. We will look forward to serving your drug store needs in the future.

Ace Hardware is offering 20% off on any items that you can fit into a shopping bag. This is happening Saturday, November 15th ONLY!!! You have to show your Ace Rewards card. If you don't have one, you can get one here.

Lush at West County Mall is having a "Snowman of the Year" party. If you go dressed up like your favorite snowman, you will receive a Frosty the Snowman gift! You can play games to win prizes, sip eggnog, listen to classic Christmas carols & shop. The event is this Saturday, November 15th! Visit their website for more details.

Monday, November 10, 2008

This Thursday is $10/$50 coupon day! No coupon necessary. Spend $50 and you will automatically receive $10 off at the register. This is $50 before MFG! (Note: Some Shop'n Save locations are not accepting printable coupons, some are accepting select ones. Have your store's manager look over your printable MFG before you start shopping!)

KY Jelly 2oz $2.59. Use $3/1 MFG. $+.41 after coupon. Side Note: These are good things to buy if you need to knock the cost of your bill down a bit. I got several of these coupons. 2 of them knocks your bill down by almost a dollar. You can always give them away if you don't use them! Good through 12/31/08.

Sure Deodorant $1.99. Use $2.50/1 MFG. $1.99-2.50=$+.51. Good through 12/31/09.

Remember that you can get as many FREE movies with this code as you have credit cards. You have until midnight tonight to use this code before it expires. As long as you return the movies by 9pm Tuesday, you will never be charged a cent for these movies!

Yes, I know this post is a day late. Better late than never right?! I have a great one for you this week. Last week we looked at how to re"cycle" old t-shirts. This week we are going to re"cycle" shoe boxes.

What do you do with all those old shoe boxes? I always wondered why shoes "have to" come in shoe boxes. How much more are we paying for the shoes because they come in a heavy duty box? Did you know you can opt to not take your shoes home in a box? You can tell the store that you do not need the box and they will either reuse them or they will recycle them. The only problem is that some stores don't let you return your shoes if you do not have the box. My husband wears his shoes until he can't anymore, then we go and get him new ones. He will always just wear his new shoes out of the store. If you do this, you can leave the box right there at the store!

If you opt not to leave your box at the store, here are some great ideas for using them when you are home:

You can use them to store your shoes to keep them clean. In the past, I have stored my shoes in the boxes and stacked them neatly in my closet. This is much cheaper than buying a shoe caddy. It isn't as space efficient though.

You can slide old shoe boxes into drawers to sort your undies or socks. This is especially great if you have cats like me, who like to get cozy in your clean clothes! If I forget to shut my drawers all the way, I will come home and see a cat cuddled in my socks!

You can use them to organize your medications in. If you have more than one person in your home who takes medication, you can give each person their own box. Neatly place their names on the outside of the boxes and stack them under the sink in the bathroom. This is a great way to keep medications straight!

You can use them to give gifts to others. If you have a gift to give to someone that will fit in the shoe box, you just add some tissue paper stuffing and wrap the box with wrapping paper and give the gift. This is especially great for gifts you are shipping to others.

You can decorate them and use them to store small items. I love to scrapbook and have many items that are small and easy to lose. I love shoe boxes to store these items in. Its even more fun to decorate the box and make it match your room theme. Below is a picture of a shoe box that I decorated. Here is what I used to decorate: Blue spray paint, flower stem stamper, green ink for the flower stems, flower stickers, flowers from a lei cut apart and seperated, a brad setter, and brads to match the corresponding flowers. It was fun to create and looked fun when I was done!

One of the best uses for old shoe boxes right now is to pack them and donate to Samaritan's Purse. This is an organization that donates shoe box gifts to children in several countries who would otherwise receive nothing for Christmas. It is a way to reach out and help the less fortunate. I have donated a shoe box of goodies to Samaritan's Purse for three years now. Below is a picture of what I donated. My church supports this organization so we had boxes from them. They do encourage you to use your old shoe boxes and just wrap them with wrapping paper. If you are interested in donating to this wonderful organization, visit their website for the how to and what to pack.

I know some of you probably have several other great uses for old shoe boxes. If so, post them here and share with everyone!

Printable Coupons

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